Platforms

Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android

Genre(s)

Online Strategy Card Game

"Sheathe your sword, draw your deck, and get ready for Hearthstone - the fast paced strategy card game that's easy to learn and massively fun. Start a free game on Battle.net and play your cards to sling spells, summon creatures, and command the heroes of Warcraft in duels of epic strategy.

"Challenge players of all skill levels on Battle.net or hone your skills in practice matches against some of the greatest strategists of Azeroth - Thrall, Uther, Gul'dan, and more!

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a free-to-play digital strategy card game that anyone can enjoy produced by Blizzard Entertainment and unveiled at PAX East in March 2013. Players choose one of nine epic Warcraft heroes to play as, and then take turns playing cards from their customizable decks to cast potent spells, use heroic weapons or abilities, or summon powerful characters to crush their opponent. Players can play against the AI, random players, or their friends.

Hearthstone was initially available for Windows and Macintosh, and was later brought to tablets and smartphones.

Contents

Practice mode: Hone your abilities and test out new deck ideas against A.I. opponents of basic or expert skill levels, and unlock new playable heroes in the process.

Casual mode: Play against people your skill rating, have fun with no consequences, try prototype decks, and gain coins for card packs underway on casual.

Ranked mode: Duel other players to increase your rank — which indicates your skill level and the level of opponents you'll face (resets monthly) — and earn new card packs along the way. Whether you're a grizzled veteran or curious newcomer, or fall somewhere in between, Battle.net matchmaking will pair you up against a worthy opponent.

The Arena: Put your skills to the test in this mode where deck-building is half the fun. Assemble a new deck by choosing from a selection of cards provided for the match, and then duel other Arena participants for a chance to win card packs. The cards you select to build your deck with are yours to keep and can be added to other decks in your collection after your Arena duels are complete. Note that you must trade in a certain amount of gold to participate in an Arena match (further details to be announced later).

A player can be represented by a variety of Heroes, each having a unique Hero Power. Vanity heroes can also be acquired by various means that appear slightly animated on their hero plate during a match and provide additional cosmetic effects.

Each hero is an archetype of one of the 9 basic World of Warcraft classes: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior.

So far Death knights, Demon hunters and Monks are not part of the game as player usable heroes.

Once you’ve selected which hero (class) you want to play as, there are three types of cards you can build your deck with in Hearthstone: spells (abilities or hero powers), weapons, and minions. Each card falls into either the "basic" or "expert" card set.

Basic cards are the "starter" cards that form the foundation of each hero's class, and are earned each time you play a game (you can have up to two of every basic card in the game in your collection).

Free rarity cards that come with the basic set will have white (free) card names and no rarity gem.

Expert cards are cards that can only be found in card packs or created using the crafting system (certain achievements grant them as well).

They're distinguished by their rarity in card name color — common (white), rare (blue), epic (purple), or legendary (orange). Generally, the rarer a card is, the more complex it is...often providing you with new strategic options.

You can have any number of expert cards in your collection, though only two of any common, rare, or epic card, and one of any legendary card, can be placed in a deck.

Expert cards will have an oval colored gem of the rarity color: common, rare, epic, and legendary.

Golden card: All cards found in a card pack have a chance to be upgraded to a Golden card when the pack is opened. This upgrade will affect the appearance of the card but not its power.

Both basic and expert cards have important roles to play in all decks, regardless of whether you're just starting out or are a Hearthstone grandmaster.

Players may collect new cards by participating in the game modes (Practice, Play, Arena).

Crafting: Disenchant expert cards in your collection to receive arcane dust, and then use your collected dust to craft other cards of your choosing. Basic cards cannot be disenchanted.

Purchase: Purchase card packs containing five random cards using your Battle.net Balance or a variety of supported payment methods. One of the cards will always be of "rare" rarity or greater; in some cases, you may find that one or more additional cards has also "upgraded" to a higher tier of rarity.

There is a possibility that players may be able to earn things for their World of Warcraft characters.

There will be an emote system that lets players communicate in a safe way with random folks they are playing with online. You can greet, congratulate, and threaten your opponent with the voice of the hero you are playing.

There will be parental controls that limit the ability of children to purchase packs.